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Conversation 2· 10 min read·3 scenes

Four nations, three crosses, one flag

A walk through the four nations of the UK, the cross of St George, the dragon of Wales, and why Ben Nevis matters in your test.

Cast

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Mrs. Khan

Retired ESOL teacher, Birmingham

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Marco

Software engineer, ILR applicant

Scene 1 of 3

Scene 1: The four nations

Mrs. Khan unfolds a paper map of the British Isles. Marco peers at it like it might bite him.

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Mrs. Khan

Tell me. How many countries are there in the United Kingdom?

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Marco

Three? England, Scotland, Wales?

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Mrs. Khan

Four. You forgot Northern Ireland. Always Northern Ireland. England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

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Marco

And Ireland, the country?

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Mrs. Khan

Different country. The Republic of Ireland is independent. Northern Ireland is part of the UK. They share an island, but not a government.

The four nations and their capitals

●England, London (also UK capital)
●Scotland, Edinburgh
●Wales, Cardiff
●Northern Ireland, Belfast

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Marco

OK that I can remember.

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Mrs. Khan

Good, because they will ask. Sometimes they ask 'what is the capital of Wales' and people panic and say London.

Scene recap, in case anything slipped past you

›Four nations: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland.
›Capitals: London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast.
›Republic of Ireland is a separate country, not part of the UK.

Scene 2 of 3

Scene 2: The flag and the saints

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Marco

And the flag? The Union Jack?

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Mrs. Khan

Three crosses. Saint George for England, red on white. Saint Andrew for Scotland, diagonal white on blue. Saint Patrick for Ireland, diagonal red on white. Layered together, they make the Union Flag.

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Marco

Where is Wales?

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Mrs. Khan

Not on it. Wales had a red dragon flag of its own, but by the time the Union Flag was drawn up, Wales was already united with England, so it was not added separately. That is a popular question.

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Marco

And the saints have their own days?

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Mrs. Khan

Each one.

Patron saints and their days

●Saint George (England),23 April
●Saint Andrew (Scotland),30 November
●Saint David (Wales),1 March
●Saint Patrick (Ireland),17 March

Quick way to lock the dates

Wales is first in the calendar (1 March), then Patrick (17), then George (23), then Andrew last (30 November). The three spring saints, then Andrew in late autumn.

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Marco

OK, I might just write those four dates on my forearm.

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Mrs. Khan

Whatever works.

Scene recap, in case anything slipped past you

›Union Flag = three crosses: George (England), Andrew (Scotland), Patrick (Ireland).
›Wales not on the Union Flag, already united with England when it was made.
›Saints' days: 1 March (David), 17 March (Patrick), 23 April (George), 30 November (Andrew).

Scene 3 of 3

Scene 3: Currency, language, and the highest mountain

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Marco

I know currency. Pound sterling, pound symbol, hundred pence to a pound.

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Mrs. Khan

Notes are five, ten, twenty, fifty pound. Coins are one penny, two, five, ten, twenty, fifty pence, then one and two pounds. Scotland and Northern Ireland print their own notes, also legal tender, sometimes refused in shops down south.

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Marco

Languages?

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Mrs. Khan

English, primarily. Welsh is an official language in Wales. Scottish Gaelic in parts of Scotland. Irish Gaelic in Northern Ireland. Plus Scots and Ulster Scots. They will not test you on the difference, but they may ask which is official in Wales.

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Marco

And geography? I never know which mountain is which.

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Mrs. Khan

Three you must know. Ben Nevis, Scotland, highest in the UK. Snowdon, Wales, highest in Wales. Scafell Pike, England, highest in England.

Three mountains, three nations

Ben Nevis (Scotland) is the highest in the UK overall. Snowdon (Wales). Scafell Pike (England). Northern Ireland has no entry on this list, its peaks are smaller.

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Marco

And rivers?

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Mrs. Khan

Severn is the longest in Britain. Thames flows through London, famous, but shorter. Population? About sixty-seven million across the whole UK.

Scene recap, in case anything slipped past you